The Food Dude — In Canada, brownies bake you

The day has finally arrived and I can’t stop smiling about it. I get to write the first ever cannabis edible recipe for Atlantic Canadian print media.

You read that right; this week’s Food Dude article is all about that sweet sticky icky…and I’m not just talking about butterscotch. I’m talking about that magical ingredient that literally takes food to a whole new level. It’s my favourite plant, my Achilles’ heel and the greatest ally in the war against depression; cannabis.

Peoplekind (nod nod) have been consuming cannabis as a food ingredient for thousands of years for nutrition, flavour, medicine and of course for fun. While it’s certainly gotten a bad rap in the west for one political or business-related reason or another, cannabis has been proven to be the least harmful recreational substance for adult consumption, even trumping alcohol and caffeine when used responsibly. Thus, we’ve finally listened to the vast majority of medical science and are now the first G20 and G7 nation to legalize cannabis for recreation… and I can write about it without reprieve.

I first came about this recipe online four years ago and have since tweaked it into a high-flying cannabis dessert so decadent and satisfying that I’ve rarely made any other kind for fear of missing out. It’s a twist on an old classic that you may already be familiar with; pot brownies. Being my first self-made edible, I wanted to start with something relatively easy to make. Using some freshly acquired medicinal cannabis, I did manage to bake (and get baked from) a gorgeous pan of gooey bud busters. Over time, these recipes evolved to become:

Cannabutterscotch Ripple Budbusters

12 g indica strain cannabis (ground)

2 ½ cups water

1 lb butter

2 cups sugar

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp salt

1 cup butterscotch sauce

¼ cup chocolate sauce

For cannabutter: Grind cannabis and bake on parchment paper lined pan for 30 mins at 240 F in preheated oven. In a medium saucepan on medium high heat, bring water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add butter and ground cannabis. Let simmer for 1 ½ hours. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth and strainer into a bowl. Refrigerate for 45 mins.

For brownies: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Melt cannabutter in large frying pan on medium while stirring gently. Add ¼ butter to butterscotch sauce and set aside. Combine remaining wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix. Pour mixture into greased 9-inch baking pan and bake for 25 mins. Let cool. Partially cut through 3x5 squares. Top with layer of cannabutterscotch and drizzle in chocolate sauce. Enjoy for 1–6 hours per brownie.

As you may well have guessed; you can create just about any edible by finding a recipe that calls for butter or oil and simply substituting equal amounts of prepared cannabutter using the recipe I mentioned earlier. If like many Canadians you are relatively new to cannabis I wouldn’t suggest jumping straight in so to speak with edibles. Start out smaller to get a feel for the water first. Make sure to always partake responsible, store your adult treats away from your kid’s (developing brains are a no-no) and remember to keep lots of cold drink nearby – along with a selection of your favourite snacks.